The ribbon has been cut. The cord is still plugged in.
A launch is easy to recognize. There is a date, a gathering and somebody checking that the logo faces the camera. Support arrives less ceremonially. A customer changes a password, an update breaks a setting, or a component supplier stops making the part that holds the entire arrangement together. None of these events has agreed to occur during the launch budget.
We initially assigned this work to Business as Usual. Business as Usual has no desk, no manager and an excellent attendance record at planning meetings because everyone assumes somebody else represents it. Chip now receives its telephone calls. His job description has been updated to include continuity, which appears to mean that he cannot leave.
Vera has proposed aligning resources with the roadmap. Chip asked which line on the roadmap covers a customer still using last year’s product. We have added a small arrow pointing backward. There is no funding attached to the arrow, but it demonstrates that we have considered the issue.
The installed base has declined to attend the farewell lunch
Reducing duplicated work can make sense. So can simplifying a product range or ending a service properly. The awkward part is deciding which work will actually disappear. A reduction in the number of people does not, by itself, retire a device, remove an integration or answer a customer. Someone has to reconcile the remaining commitments with the capacity left to meet them.
Our efficiency review therefore begins with a complete list of obligations. Finance keeps the list of salaries. Delivery keeps the list of things that still happen. We have asked them to use separate spreadsheets because combining the two encourages difficult questions about the proposed saving.
The resulting gap is entered as an ownership opportunity. Opportunities do not require overtime approval. Chip has accumulated several, including one that wakes him at night and another that must remain compatible with the first. He asked whether an opportunity could be declined. Human Resources has forwarded his question to Business as Usual.
A smaller picture of the same commitment
A workable plan would name the owner after launch, identify the work being stopped and provide a way to retire commitments that cannot be maintained. It would include update work, support coverage and the cost of keeping older products usable. Our plan includes a high-resolution copy of the photograph. Leadership prefers it because every responsibility is visible once you zoom in far enough.
Flint has requested another launch next quarter. Chip suggested withdrawing one of the existing devices first, so the team could support the new one. This would require telling a customer that a product has an end, a conversation we had hoped to replace with a new beginning.
The next photograph will use a wider lens. It is important that our growing range remains visible behind Chip.
Behind the brief: Amazon’s devices-unit job cuts after product launches
Reuters reported on October 28 that Amazon cut devices-and-services jobs after recent product launches. Amazon confirmed cuts, citing efficiency and roadmap alignment. Reuters attributed an upper estimate of 250 roles to an unnamed source. The report does not establish reduced customer-support coverage. SoftBoulders’ photograph and support policy are invented.
News date: Oct 28, 2026. Article published: Nov 2, 2026. The policies and proposals in this article are SoftBoulders’ comic response; the linked sources describe the underlying events. Editorial notes.
